Forum to lobby for development of eastern States : Sangma

AGARTALA, Feb 13 — Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A Sangma has said that the MPs and chief ministers of the seven north-eastern States, Sikkim, West Bengal an Orissa will form a ‘forum’ to lobby for the development programmes in the Eastern India in New Delhi. Sangma who came here for one day tour to take stock of the party position in the State said, he along with CPI(M) MP Somnath Chatterjee will call a meeting of the MPs of the 10 States as soon as the next Parliament session begins on February 25 next.

“I have already talked to West Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee and expectedly we will meet on March 2 or 3 in New Delhi to discuss economic development of the North-east and three other States,” he said.

“The agenda includes among others, investment, infrastructure development, industrialisation, trade with neighbouring countries especially with Bangladesh. But one of the most important agendas we will discuss is the atrocities on religious minorities (Hindus) in Bangladesh after the change of guards in Dhaka,” the former Speaker said and added that to focus the problem of the minorities the MPs would also submit a report to the Standing Committee of the Parliament on external affairs. “We will meet and talk to the chairperson of the committee Krishna Bose and seek her personal intervention on the matter,” Sangma said.

Taking strong exception to the way the some parties are indulging in ‘insurgency-lisation’ of politics in the region, he felt that neither militancy nor peace talks could wipe out militancy, though it could reduce the problem to a great extent. “To put an end to the militancy, you need development and all round uplift of the society. Unemployment and backwardness are the breeding grounds of militancy,” he said.

The NCP leader who was accompanied by Dr BB Datta, working committee member also stressed on the need of cultivation of a ‘political culture and behaviour’ on the part of the politicians of the region to prevent frequent floor crossing. He was referring to the recent political instability in Manipur and Meghalaya where MLAs and ministers indulged in unprecedented exercise of party changings resulting in political impasse. “And this is where we the NCP want to fill up the political vacuum,” he pointed out.

On Manipur election results, Sangma felt that NCP would emerge as the single largest party.

“In fact except all other parties are having talks with us about the post poll alliance,” Sangma said. On results of the other States, the former Speaker observed while in UP, Congress would not get even 20 seats, in Punjab it would fare well. “In Punjab to be frank, Congress had a cakewalk. But candidate selection of the Congress seem to have made things a little tough going as so many rebel candidates have joined the fray.”